desert
Newsletter
Dangerous pavement burns increase as desert heat intensifies
As temperatures rise, severe pavement burns, particularly in the desert Southwest, are becoming more common and sometimes deadly.
Adeel Hassan and Isabelle Taft report for The New York Times.
In short:
- Stephen Cantwell suffered severe burns after passing out on a Las Vegas sidewalk during extreme heat.
- Burn centers in the Southwest report a significant increase in contact burns, with many cases proving fatal.
- Urban expansion in hot regions increases the risk, with asphalt and concrete absorbing and radiating extreme heat.
Key quote:
“Your body just literally sits there and cooks. When somebody finally finds you, you’re already in multisystem organ failure.”
— Clifford C. Sheckter, surgeon and a burn prevention researcher at Stanford University
Why this matters:
As climate change continues to drive temperatures higher, especially in urban areas, the risk of severe burns from hot surfaces is growing. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, homeless, and children, are particularly at risk.
Related EHN coverage:
Keep reading...Show less
Newsletter
Aridity could dry up Southwestern mine proposals
Critical minerals for the clean energy transition are abundant in the Southwest, but the dozens of mines proposed to access them will require vast sums of water, something in short supply in the desert.
Authorities investigate death at Burning Man as thousands remain trapped
Thousands of attendees of the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert faced the prospect of more rain on Sunday after a stretch of heavy precipitation that has tested the resolve of its free-spirited participants as most have been stuck at the site and forced to conserve food and water.
Newsletter
Burning Man’s climate protesters block road to Black Rock City
Building a temporary city of 80,000 people in the desert is actually bad for the planet.
California's big bloom aids seed collectors as climate change and wildfires threaten desert species
After massive winter downpours, conservationists in California are eager to gather desert seeds as an insurance policy against a hotter and drier future.
An ancient desert-dwelling culture embraces hydroponics
With droughts on the rise, India's pastoralists are turning to modern techniques to conserve water -- and a way of life.
Conservationists and farmers work together to restore the Colorado River Delta
The Colorado River Delta in Mexico has long looked more like a desert than a delta. That’s starting to change.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
